HbA1c – Type 1 Diabetes – NHS Ayrshire & Arran

Every person with Type 1 diabetes has to manage their condition to live a healthy, happy life. This quick guide shows the glucose readings that you should be aiming for.

Chart showing glucose guidance for type 1 diabetes. Targets include HbA1c below 53 mmol/mol, time in range (3.9–10.0 mmol/L) above 70%, and time below range (under 3.9 mmol/L) below 4%. Daily glucose targets are: before breakfast 5–7 mmol/L, before meals 4–7 mmol/L, two hours after meals 5–9 mmol/L, and at bedtime 6–8 mmol/L. Tips include giving insulin 5–15 minutes before meals, using alerts to avoid low or prolonged high glucose, and improving carbohydrate counting with a simple 1–2–3 approach.

Top three tips for managing glucose

Give insulin: Ideally 5–15 minutes before meal times
Use alerts: To help avoid hypoglycaemia and prolonged high glucose
Improve your carb counting skills: 1… 2… 3

Remember, a lot of things can affect your glucose readings such as:

shift work
exercise
illness

Do you need a little help? Is there something you’re struggling with? Keep talking to your diabetes team about how to improve your self-management.

Your HbA1c and time in range (TIR) chart

'Your HbA1c and TIR chart' showing how HbA1c levels relate to average blood glucose and time in range. It categorises risk into Low, Medium, and High. Low risk includes HbA1c values of 42 to 53 mmol/mol, average glucose from 7.0 to 8.6 mM, and time in range from 80% to 63%. Medium risk spans HbA1c 57 to 76, glucose 9.2 to 11.9 mM, and time in range 56% to 36%. High risk includes HbA1c 80 to 119, glucose 12.6 to 18.1 mM, and time in range below 33%.

Things to remember

Your HbA1c is a measure of blood glucose over the last 8 to 12 weeks.
The target HbA1c for people with type 1 diabetes is 53 mmol/mol.
Time in range (TIR) is the percentage time spent with a glucose between 3.9 and 10.0 mM.
Recommended TIR is greater than 70%.
Increasing TIR by just 10% reduces your risk of complications by 50%.